In Portugal, there are more than 50 mineral and spring waters recognized by the authorities. In 2021, according to data from the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology, the sector produced 1493.8 million litres.
About 3% of the total production is exported to emerging markets around the world, says the president of the Portuguese Association of Natural and Spring Mineral Water Industries (APIAM). In other words, Portuguese mineral and spring water is sold in 52 countries. “Exporting in this sector is a reality, which shows the quality of our waters, which are the heritage of all Portuguese,” Nuno Bernardo boasts.
Last year – with the end of the pandemic, the opening of the HORECA channel (an area of economic activity where the hotel, restaurant, cafeteria and catering sector is active) and with good prospects for growth in tourism – the sector a significant recovery compared to 2021.
This translated into a turnover growth of 9.2% on the domestic market and an export growth of 4% (in liter volume). But the post-pandemic logistics and supply crisis, coupled with the war in Ukraine (which led to soaring inflation), had a major impact on the mineral and spring water industry, says Nuno Bernardo.
“Companies in the sector have struggled on several levels, namely the increase in raw material costs (packaging, for example), energy and fuel prices and transport costs,” he explains. In total, the bottled natural mineral water sector has 32 bottling plants, located in desert areas or in rural areas, “where there are sometimes not enough alternatives in terms of the employability of the population”, explains Nuno Bernardo.
At a time when the desertification of the interior of Portugal is a reality and a concern, this is a sector that “contributes to the settlement of populations in more desert areas”, the official emphasizes, explaining that this situation also related to the fact that the bottling plants cannot be moved, as the bottling must be located close to the sources.
This is an industry employing 7500 people, including the indirect activity, downstream and upstream of the bottling plant. The sector has 1500 direct jobs in the bottling plants.
When it comes to water for human consumption, opinions are divided. If on the one hand there are people who cannot do without a glass of water from the tap, on the other hand there are staunch defenders of bottled water. The difference? The origin and characteristics, says the president of APIAM.
While tap water from rivers, reservoirs and dams comes to our homes and has to undergo chemical treatments before it can be consumed, mineral and spring water (bottled) comes from the ground, which guarantees extra protection against pollution.
In other words, when collected, this water can be consumed without having to be chemically treated, guarantees DN/Dinheiro Vivo Nuno Bernardo. And thanks to the labeling, the consumer knows the characteristics and composition of each natural or spring water.
These waters are food products and as such must “meet all the demanding food safety requirements set at national level and imposed by the European Union,” declares Nuno Bernardo, ensuring that they are regularly tested and analyzed based on good hygiene practices. “The adoption and implementation of HACCP, a system of self-monitoring of critical points, is mandatory for the industry and represents the guarantee of high standards of food quality,” he emphasizes.
He also emphasizes that “natural mineral and spring water companies carry out more than 300 analyzes per day to guarantee the original purity and keep all its properties and natural characteristics unchanged”.
bottled purity
Nuno Bernardo guarantees that to ensure these waters reach consumers with the purity they were bottled with, “the industry is not giving up on choosing safer, more sustainable and convenient packaging.”
This means that packaging in this sector, plastic bottles (PET) or glass bottles (whether or not reusable) must fully comply with all established legal requirements, which guarantee the safety of the food product with which they come into contact and, when they reach the be recyclable at the same time.
“All packaging used in the sector’s industry, glass and PET, is 100% safe and 100% recyclable,” he says. And he emphasizes: “For mineral and spring water in Portugal, the promotion of the circular economy is a priority. It is a topic of paramount importance and topicality, fundamental to ensure environmental sustainability, but with the awareness of the need to to seek a balance between the economic and social component”.
Mónica Costa is a journalist for Dinheiro Vivo
Source: DN
